. >> the situation in syria may be reaching the boiling point. u-s officials are warning president bashar al-assad against using weapons of mass destruction. ed payne has the story. (gunshots ) >> as the fighting in syria rages on, secretary of defense leon panetta says the latest intelligence reports raise serious concerns that syrian president bashar al-assad may turn chemical weapons on his own citizens. panetta issued this warning to the syrian leader. >> the whole world is watching, the whole world is watching very closely and the president of the united states has made it very clear that there will be consequences, there will be consequences if the assad regime makes a terrible mistake by using these chemical weapons on their own people. >> diplomatic efforts to end the 21-month conflict in syria have failed. 42- thousand people have been killed so far, according opposition activists. with so much at stake, senator john mccain says it may be time to take action. >> if true kitties reports may mean that the -- these reports united states and